February 2021 – Spaceflight Now

Parker Solar Probe pulls back the veil on Venus’s night side

February 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

An ultra-sensitive camera on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe caught an ethereal glimpse of the night side of Venus during a flyby last year, revealing terrain seen through the thick haze of the planet’s atmosphere.

Live coverage: SpaceX delays Falcon 9 launch to Thursday morning

February 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX will not be making a Falcon 9 launch attempt Tuesday night. The next opportunities to launch the Falcon 9 with 60 Starlink satellites from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center will come at 3:24 a.m. EST (0824 GMT) or 5:42 a.m. EST (0942 GMT) Thursday. This change in launch time suggests SpaceX will target a different orbital plane within the Starlink constellation.

Astronauts complete spacewalk to prep for station power system upgrades

February 28, 2021 William Harwood

Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Sunday for the first in a series of spacewalks to upgrade the lab’s aging solar power system, assembling a support fixture that eventually will hold a new solar blanket.

Russia launches Arctic weather satellite

February 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

Russia launched a Soyuz rocket Sunday through a veil of fog over the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying the first spacecraft in a new program to monitor Arctic weather systems and relay emergency communications.

Indian rocket launches Brazilian satellite to track Amazon deforestation

February 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle placed Brazil’s Amazonia 1 satellite into orbit Sunday to begin a mission monitoring deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, then released 18 smaller spacecraft at a lower altitude, marking a successful start to India’s 2021 launch schedule that could see as many as seven orbital-class rocket missions.

Live coverage: Soyuz rocket launches with polar weather satellite

February 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:55 a.m. EST (0655 GMT) Sunday with the Arktika-M 1 spacecraft, the first in a new line of Russian satellites designed to provide weather observations over the Arctic.

Live coverage: Indian PSLV lifts off with 19 satellites

February 27, 2021 Stephen Clark

An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off at 11:54 p.m. EST Saturday (0454 GMT Sunday) with Brazil’s Amazonia 1 Earth observation satellite and 18 smaller co-passenger spacecraft.

Russian satellite for polar weather forecasting ready for launch Sunday

February 27, 2021 Stephen Clark

The first in a new constellation of Russian Arctic weather satellites is poised for launch on top of a Soyuz rocket Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Another trio of Chinese military satellites successfully deployed

February 27, 2021 Stephen Clark

Weeks after the launch of an earlier trio of Chinese military satellites, another spacecraft triplet successfully took off Feb. 24 aboard a Long March 4C rocket on a clandestine mission that analysts believe may involve spying on foreign naval forces.

Indian rocket set for liftoff with Brazilian satellite

February 26, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Brazilian satellite designed to track deforestation in the Amazon rainforest will rocket into orbit on top of an Indian launcher late Saturday (U.S. time).